TRADE TALKS WITH CHINA. “..Trump administration is giving Beijing another chance to try to stave off new tariffs ..” By Todd Horwitz, Bubba Trading

The Trump administration is giving Beijing another chance to try to stave off new tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese exports, asking top officials for a fresh round of trade talks later this month, people briefed on the matter said.

The invitation from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin comes as some Trump officials said they sense a new vulnerability—and possibly more flexibility—among Chinese officials pressured by U.S. tariffs imposed earlier this year and threats for more.

It also follows a steady rise in political pressure on President Trump to ease up on trade fights—which have pinched consumers and prompted painful retaliation against U.S. exports—ahead of November elections in which his Republican Party risks losing congressional control.

So far, the United States and China have hit $50 billion worth of each other’s goods with tariffs in a dispute over U.S. demands that China make sweeping economic policy changes, including ending joint venture and technology transfer policies, rolling back industrial subsidy programs and better protecting American intellectual property.

U.S. business groups are escalating their fight against Trump’s tariffs, with over 60 industry groups launching a coalition to put political pressure on the Trump administration to seek alternatives to tariffs. The negative impact of the tariffs on U.S. firms has been “clear and far reaching”, according to a joint survey by AmCham China and AmCham Shanghai. More than 60 percent of U.S. companies polled said the U.S. tariffs were already affecting their business operations, while a similar percentage said Chinese duties on U.S. goods were having an impact on business.

About the author

Todd Horwitz - Author of “Average Joe Options“. Todd began his trading career in 1980 at the CBOE. He was one of the original traders in the OEX & helped start the SPX. He is a member the CME where he trades S&P futures as well as foreign currencies & is a regular contributor to CNBC, Bloomberg, BNN, Fox & many other major news networks.